US show Saturday Night Live parodies Turkish celebrity chef Salt Bae in sketch

Restaurateur Nusret Gökçe, aka Salt Bae, has been parodied on Saturday Night Live as “the most important chef in the world.” Famed for his outlandish salt sprinkling presentations, 32 million Instagram followers, and $1,000 gold-plated steaks, the Turkish chef is played by U.S. actor Beck Bennett in the sketch.

Monday April 05 2021 11:27 pm

Duvar English

Saturday Night Live, the American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show, has parodied the internationally-famed Turkish cook Nusret Gökçe, also known as "Salt Bae," in a sketch on April 3.

U.S. actor Beck Bennett plays Salt Bae as a theatrical, creepy and sexually inappropriate attention-hog.

In the sketch, Oscar-nominated actor Daniel Kaluuya, Cecily Strong, Mikey Day, and Ego Nwodim sit down at a table at Nusr-Et, the luxury steakhouse chain Salt Bae owns.

The women are overjoyed when Salt Bae walks out and proceeds to manhandle steak in front of them, dribbling handfuls of salt crystals into their food. Kaluuya does not appreciate Salt Bae’s flirtatious antics.

Bae “salts” Cecily, has Ego slap his meat, and sticks a gold-crusted shank down Day’s throat.

Everyone’s commitment to this sketch’s kooky energy really elevates it; “You want me? To salt me?” says Strong, before explaining to her boyfriend, “That’s Salt Bae! The most important chef in the world!”

Kaluuya says “this guy’s giving me magician energy” while Bennett playing Salt Bae continues to make that blank face, pirouetting around the set.

The joke of the sketch is, as Kaluuya puts it bluntly, “I’m getting charged 1,100 dollars to get cucked in front of David Beckham.”